BIKES YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE: 1976 HODAKA THUNDERDOG 250ED

By 1977 Hodaka was looking for a wider audience to help supplement their 100cc and 125cc offerings. They built a 175cc bike, but it wasn’t much a success and they only produced 600 versions of it, before focusing all of their attention on the 250ED. They had wanted to build a motocross version (250MX) and an enduro version (250ED) along with a street-legal model (250SL), but in the end, the MX version was shelved and the Hodaka 250ED production numbers were only 1800 units with frame numbers from 0001-1800.

The stock gas tank was so long that special the handlebars had to be rolled back so the rider could feel more comfortable.

Hodaka had a tradition of giving each of its models a memorable name. It started with the Super Rat 100, the Wombat 125 trail bike, the Combat Wombat 125 MX, the Super Combat 125MX, the Dirt Squirt 100 trail bike, the Road Toad 100 street bike, the Dirt Squirt 80 minicycle and finally, the Thunderdog 250.

Intake in the 246cc engine is piston port controlled, with a 36mm Mikuni carburetor that is pre-mixed by a Mikuni pump injection system. The retail price was $1195 and 1800 units were sold.

The 250ED began life as a motocrosser on the drawing board. But the state of the art for motocross bikes was progressing too fast for Hodaka to keep up with it and, in the end, Hodaka elected to make the 250 into an enduro bike, thus “ED.” It featured an orange plastic tank, side panels and Preston Petty fenders that came as standard equipment and a white Petty headlight/number plate combination and folding shift and brake levers and shock absorber mud covers.

The Kayaba suspension held up both ends. The forks were of the conventional straight-leg design and deliver 6.75 in. of travel. The aluminum-bodied, finned rear shocks yielded 4.5 inch of travel at the shock, which translates to 6 inches of rear wheel travel.

The 246cc engine had a 36mm Mikuni carburetor that had the fuel pre-mixed by a Mikuni pump injection system. The Hodaka 250ED was sparked by a capacitive discharge ignition system. Power was transferred to a five-speed transmission via straight-cut primary gears. The MSRP retail price was $1195. Even though it is rare, it isn’t in much demand by collectors, because Hodaka collectors prefer the much more popular Super Rats and Super Combats.

TURNING 1976 HODAKA 250 ENDURO BIKE INTO WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN—IF THEY HAD BUILT A 250MX VERSION

Unlike the stock 1976 Hodaka 250ED, which had limited suspension travel, the Jody Weisel’s built 250MX project had nine-inches of travel front and rear. With the help of Kayaba USA, the stocker’s straight leg forks were replaced with the newest leading axle air/spring forks. The stock head angle was 32-degrees, so GP Specialties modified the frame to bring the rake back to 30-degrees. It was 30 pounds lighter than the very heavy enduro-equipped stocker.

The 250ED project was unable to save Hodaka—since most of their product lineup was based on the same basic concepts from Super Rat to Super Combat, they weren’t considered to be cutting edge. Hodaka’s greatest strength had been in marketing, thanks to Promotion’s Manager Marvin Foster, the quirky model names, catchy ads and special project bikes that relied on loyal Hodaka racers to build super exotic bikes that Japan couldn’t provide to them.

The first step on turning the Hodaka 250ED into a motocross bike, was to strip it down to the frame, keeping the orange gas tank, seat and fenders. The rear of the frame was rebuilt to accept the laid-down Fox Airshox and the stock swingarm was soon replaced with an aftermarket aluminum Honda swingarm. Grand Prix Specialities in North Hollywood did all of the frame work.

Ted Moorewood built the exhaust pipe and used a CNC-machined aluminum collar to help fight heat at the exhaust port. The stock Hodaka wheels (front and rear) were replaced with Suzuki wheels. The brake anchor was still being tested for the proper length. The engine was retrofit with a Yamaha reed valve.

One of Marvin Foster favorite Hodaka racers was a young Texan hot shot named Jody Weisel, who raced Hodaka road racers and motocross bikes. Jody had built them an incredible 1974 Super Combat and when his one-0ff SuperCombat appeared in Motocross Action, it was a revelation. So,  Marvin sent him a Hodaka 250ED with the goal of duplicating the same amount of attention that Jody’s 125 SuperCombat had generated by turning the 250 ED trail bike into a full blown 250MX motocross bike (while still using the basic Hodaka layout)

MXA’s Lance Moorewood  (shown) and Jody Weisel, not only did all the test riding on the 1976 Hodaka 250MX, but pulled everything together to make it viable a motocross bike. This is Lance at Indian Dunes.

Jody agreed to turn the 250ED trail bike into a full blown motocross bike (while still using the basic Hodaka layout). Sadly, that effort was too late to help Hodaka’s fading bottom line. And, when Jody sent the Project ThunderDog motocross bike back to Oregon, there was so much disarray at Hodaka that they misplaced it and it was never seen again.

Don’t be surprised if you’ve never seen a 1976 Hodaka Thunderdog 250MX , even this one-of-a-kind motocross version of the Thunderdog met with quizzical looks from every one who saw it at the track. 

This is Jody on his Hodaka road racer at the Austin Aquafest road race, It featured an E.C Birt engine in interchangeable displacements for 100 GP, 125 GP and 200 GP.